Solidarity and international cooperation

The solidarity of Nantes knows no frontiers. The city provided exceptional support to refugee populations from Tbilisi in Georgia affected by the events in August, and also to Haitian victims of the hurricanes which marked the year 2008. In terms of Georgia, the deputy Mayor Jean-Marc Ayrault wanted to personally demonstrate his support by a visit to Georgia between 1 and 4 September to see the refugee centres and have a meeting with the national authorities, including Mr. Saakashvili, the President of Georgia.

In Rufisque, priority was given to public health with the visit of two students from the Nantes School of Architecture, which formed a period of practical work experience for them during which they worked on a requalification project for the local health centre, and with the development of the rehabilitation programme for the schools at Ousmane Mbeng. In Dschang, the first phase of the construction of the Museum of Civilisations was completed, with an exhibition created in partnership with the Nantes School of Architecture and educational activities offered to the children of the city.

Stimulating and developing international cooperation and exchanges is the best way of opening Nantes up to the world and getting the inhabitants involved. In 2008, the twinning of the universities of Nantes and Niigata in Japan, and the creation of a Young Ambassador programme between Nantes and Saarbrücken in Germany offered new opportunities for students and young people to share their experiences and get to know each other. Other existing partnerships with Qingdao (China), Seattle (USA), Tbilisi (Georgia) and Cardiff (Wales) were strengthened for even more lively exchanges.

In the context of the World Forum on Human Rights, organised in Nantes in June by the Metropolis of Nantes, Nantes wanted to develop the idea of an international culture of rights and peace around the themes of memory, and welcomed delegations from Dschang (Cameroon), Rufisque (Senegal), Durban (South Africa), Recife (Brazil) and Saarbrücken.

Residents of Nantes around the world!
12 Brevet (school leaving exam) students from the Lycée Saint-Félix stayed in Qingdao in February.
€30,000 donated to the NGO 1ère Urgence to meet the humanitarian needs of refugees in Tbilissi.
9 classes from various Nantes establishments went to Cardiff on a linguistic study tour (263 pupils involved).
The world meets up at Cosmopolis!
35,000 visitors for all the activities from all the regions of the world organised at the Cosmopolis international area: 14 exhibitions, a storytelling festival and two cinema festivals.